Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-10-04
BEAN OR SAJ'NDERSt
The Mysterious Dead Texan Million
A1Re.

BEAN OR SAUNDERSt
The Mysterious Dead Texan Million.
aire.
WHO WILL GIT HIS NoSSY-rwo FAMILIES CLAIM
me- IA STRANGE STORY PROM rHR LONE STAN
STATE
dispatches from Bonham, Tex, concerning
the estate OF the mysterious millionaire, .'Col.
Tom bean, VINO died Ia that place recently with
Out any known relatives state that the chances
are that all the people claiming to belong 20 che
'Bean' family, will be proven TO have no claim Co
relationship to the late millionaire. Among these
claimants was Thaddeus Bean, a builder OF this
CITY, VINO LEFT here for Texas some days since. Tho
stoty toao under the latest Developments is
strange one. man from Mississippi by tho
name OF saunders has appeared upon the scene
With the claim that "Col. Bean" was not Bean
At all but was his brother, Thomas l. saunders
Coz Bean has always been q mystery 70 his neigh-
ALL THAT Is KNOWN OF HIS HISTORY
where he has lived since he was young nan, and
where he has made oil his money, is that he came
70 Texas from Fayetteville, Ark, before the war,
ne then being q Young man In his twenties set
sung IN that vast country at that early day
almost slnost penhltesS out with . fair knowledge or
surveying ne commenced locating land Tor him.
sen ana Others Little attention was paid then TO
ths herGit-nke Young stranger, who possessed the
the immigration which soon commenced 70 now
into this country brought him into notice by de-
veloping the TACT OF his possession OF tracts Of
the future land kings of the Empire state. He
was frugal, econonizing and very eccentric living
alone In little one-room hut surrounded By
and dressed elegantly. lie never had What might
pc Termed an intimate acquaintance, though ne
was Q familiar character to everybody. One OF his
ri w hs. v,,xp
0gyny, which was always matter OF comment
and wonder In society circles Another was his
decided opposition TO disposng OF his real estate
even At fabulous prices, leaving Il unfenced.
From the day OF his settlement In Bonham 20
the day OF his death he evaded all questions a. 10
averTed that he had no relatives
THE QUESTION As 10 THE DEAD MrliIoyAfKEs
IDENTITY
was first raised by . letter from Mississippi in
curing: "ls Col T. C. Bean dead, and did he leave
q win" The tone OF the letter Interested the
prominent citizen, who replied to the INQUIRY, and
shortly received another letter, In substance as
''CoL Bean should have left will II must have
been stolen. He was my brother, and his name
In Mississippi before the war he struck colaborer
with Jacob stan, killing him. He then fed to
Texas. and you know the rest OF his history. II
his will Is found II will also be found that some
cOlored friends are partial legatees OF his estate
This spread confusion among the other claim
ants u relationship. appears and the letter was
Jas. W. Saunders, OF oxford. Miss, the reputed
brother OF the late Col Bean, an heir OF this vast
estate. Mr. Saunders comes with first-class GER
son-in.law, Dr. A. W. Short, or glory, Lamar
County, Tex, q member OF the North Texas Medi.
cal Association. Another Important witness is DR..
j. j. Mcbride, OF Montague County, O bro.her-ln.
law OF J. W. saunders.
TIRE CURIOUS STORY TOLD BY Mr. SAUNDERS
Mr.. saunders told the following story: .The per-
son known as Col 7. c. Bean was my brother,
whose name was Thos. L. Saunders. He was aged
seyenty-six at his death. being two years my
senior. he was Tennesseean by birth. Our
other brother Claiborne, died In Georgia sister
dying in Texas. While engaged In surveying
out Obian County, Tenn, now Lake County, In
1S3d,my brother Thomas, then aged twenty-I0ur or
twenty-five years committed murder which
caused him TO leave. One OF the chain-carriers,
named Crutchfled, became enraged when my
brother reprmanded him Tor not having accom-
plished certain amount OF work. Ny brother
knocked him down with q JACOB stan, string him
twice after he was down, fracturing his skull,
from the effects OF which he died next morning.
My brother fed, taking with him negro boy,
named Alex, who witnessed the killing. My
brother took refuge on Bean Island, In the Missis-
Sippi River, sending Alex TO me Tor money and aid
In making his escape. was then an engineer on
q steamboat, which LEFT, taking skin, In which
rowed Tom TO Gaines Landing, Ark.
"When on the Island, and IN tue presence OF
Alex, advised him 10 take the name VI Thomas
Lawson, but he persisted in his desire To use his
nrSt given name and the name OF the island,
Beam Leaving my brother IN the bottoms. near
Gaines Landing, returned TO Old Commerce and
sod negro girl Tor $500, and returned, giving
Tom $50, he giving me Alex and younger negro
that he owned, stating that $50 was Suncienl for
his purposes. reward Is now offered Tor infor.
nation OF Alexis whereabouts. He Is supposed 10
he ia Talahachie County, Miss.
Leaving Gains Landing my brother fed 70
Camden. Ark; thence 70 Fayetteville, same state
then to his future home In Fannin County. Our
urSt meeting was in SC. Louis In 1854 or lsllo then
again In Austin, Tex, In 1876, when gave Tom
81, 100 with which to purchase some land titles.
We met again In Bonham In 1854 as Is remein.
bered by some citizens OF this town. In 1872 sent
Alex to Bonham for 500, being In Strengthened
which Tom sent me, sewing IL In
the waistband or Alexis breeches After my meeting
with my brother In BOnham in 1884 visited West
Texas and met my brother again at Gainesville,
Tex, in the Lacleade Hotel, believe. While IN
Gainesville my brother stated that IL he died first
he would Will me half OF his estate, which he then
estimated at about 500 600. and the other half 10
his negroes and Few favored white friends but
II diea first he proposed TO VIII my part to my
children"